Will offender list change?

Officials concerned about move to allow some names to come off sex offender registry

Mar. 29, 2012

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Some Greene County law officials watch with unease as Missouri lawmakers move toward legislation that would allow some people eventually to be removed from the state’s sex offender registry.

On Tuesday, the GOP-led Missouri House gave first-round approval to the bill.

Under the legislation, several offenses no longer would require state registration, including promoting obscenity and furnishing pornographic materials. In other cases, people could petition a state trial judge to be removed from the registry if they meet certain requirements. Petitions for removal could be filed after 20 years for those convicted of particularly serious offenses such as forcible rape, forcible sodomy or child molestation.

Unhappy with that provision, Sheriff Jim Arnott and Prosecutor Dan Patterson both said people convicted of forcible sex crimes and other serious offenses should remain on the registry for life.

Arnott said the registry is a valuable tool for both the public and for law enforcement.

“It allows us to track and be aware of who is in our area,” he said.

Patterson did acknowledge though, that not all sex offenses should be “painted with the same, broad brush.”

“It makes sense that there would be some mechanism for review,” he said.

Besides allowing people to be removed from the registry, the legislation also would exclude juveniles who are required to register as sex offenders from the public list posted online. The measure needs another vote before moving to the state Senate.